Presidential Opinion

The Hechinger Report

Defending the ‘Right to Be Here’ on Campus

Ronald Crutcher, president of the University of Richmond (VA), writes: The higher-education sector has witnessed significant angst and change during my lengthy career — from violent protests over what were believed to be unjust wars to increases in representational diversity to affirmative action challenges decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet our recent propensity to disinvite speakers who are controversial, or with whom we don’t agree, is tearing our campuses apart.

Ronald Crutcher, president of the University of Richmond (VA), writes: The higher-education sector has witnessed significant angst and change during my lengthy career — from violent protests over what were believed to be unjust wars to increases in representational diversity to affirmative action challenges decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet our recent propensity to disinvite speakers who are controversial, or with whom we don’t agree, is tearing our campuses apart.

​The Chronicle of Higher Education

College Presidents Must Be Loud and Clear in Support of Immigration

David Oxtoby, president emeritus of Pomona College (CA) and a president in residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Nancy Cantor, chancellor of Rutgers University at Newark (NJ), write: Over the years, higher education has played a major role in immigration. Colleges and universities, which have brought young people from overseas to this country as undergraduates and graduate students, have helped them become highly productive members of society. Many stay after receiving their degrees to take jobs or to start up new ventures. Such immigrants are more than twice as likely as U.S.-born citizens to establish new businesses, including many at the cutting edge of technology.

David Oxtoby, president emeritus of Pomona College (CA) and a president in residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Nancy Cantor, chancellor of Rutgers University at Newark (NJ), write: Over the years, higher education has played a major role in immigration. Colleges and universities, which have brought young people from overseas to this country as undergraduates and graduate students, have helped them become highly productive members of society. Many stay after receiving their degrees to take jobs or to start up new ventures. Such immigrants are more than twice as likely as U.S.-born citizens to establish new businesses, including many at the cutting edge of technology.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Why We Should Spare the Education Department — for Now

Macalester College (MN) President Brian Rosenberg writes: By the standards of the Trump administration, the proposal to merge the Education and Labor Departments is surprisingly pedestrian. Republican presidents and legislators have been attempting to eliminate the Education Department since its creation by Congress, with the support of President Jimmy Carter, in 1979. The proposal will, of course, go nowhere, since its next stop is Congress, where most proposals, good and bad, go to die. Still, it is worth considering whether the idea has any merit.

Macalester College (MN) President Brian Rosenberg writes: By the standards of the Trump administration, the proposal to merge the Education and Labor Departments is surprisingly pedestrian. Republican presidents and legislators have been attempting to eliminate the Education Department since its creation by Congress, with the support of President Jimmy Carter, in 1979. The proposal will, of course, go nowhere, since its next stop is Congress, where most proposals, good and bad, go to die. Still, it is worth considering whether the idea has any merit.

Inside Higher Ed

The Idea of the University Today

University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins writes: As someone whose scholarly interest is in medieval philosophy and theology, I have always been intrigued by questions about why the University of Oxford and similar higher education institutions appeared in the 1300s and have endured for eight centuries. They must possess something of lasting value to survive through so many dramatic changes in society. What has contributed to their staying power?

University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins writes: As someone whose scholarly interest is in medieval philosophy and theology, I have always been intrigued by questions about why the University of Oxford and similar higher education institutions appeared in the 1300s and have endured for eight centuries. They must possess something of lasting value to survive through so many dramatic changes in society. What has contributed to their staying power?

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Thinking About a Merger? Read This First

Thomas Jefferson University (PA) Chancellor Stephen Spinelli, Jr. writes: Recent polls of college leaders have confirmed what many in higher education have known for some time — a significant number of colleges and universities are likely to close or merge in the next decade. This is not bad news for academe, unless keeping a campus open at all costs is the desired outcome. In this environment of disruption, there is also much opportunity. With merger on the minds of many higher-education leaders, here are some lessons from the experience of the new Thomas Jefferson University.

Thomas Jefferson University (PA) Chancellor Stephen Spinelli, Jr. writes: Recent polls of college leaders have confirmed what many in higher education have known for some time — a significant number of colleges and universities are likely to close or merge in the next decade. This is not bad news for academe, unless keeping a campus open at all costs is the desired outcome. In this environment of disruption, there is also much opportunity. With merger on the minds of many higher-education leaders, here are some lessons from the experience of the new Thomas Jefferson University.